Some Canadian premiers have had a busy week with climate and energy announcements, and the Pembina Institute is out with responses to two of them.
After Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne confirmed her province’s commitment to join the Quebec-California cap and trade system, Pembina Ontario Director Cherise Burda lauded the move to put a price on carbon.
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“The province’s decision to reinvest revenue collected with a cap-and-trade system into initiatives that reduce carbon pollution, such as public transit infrastructure, is a wise one,” she said. But while “pricing carbon is crucial to reduce emissions and address climate change,” she added, “it’s only one part of the solution.” Burda called for “stable and dedicated funding” for transit infrastructure, particularly for Greater Toronto and Hamilton.
B.C. Associate Director Matt Horne, meanwhile, reacted to Premier Christy Clark’s announcement that the province would develop a Climate Action Plan 2.0.
“The first phase of the Climate Action Plan has been an economic and environmental success because of actions like the carbon tax, the low-carbon fuel standard, and the clean energy requirements,” he said. The second phase “will boost momentum in Canada and abroad in the lead-up to the Paris climate summit this December.”
